No service that government provides is more important than public schools — a fact that was brought home powerfully during the coronavirus pandemic, when remote learning drove an even deeper wedge between advantaged and disadvantaged students. We’re looking for a reporter with the smarts and passion to dig into one of the most devastating impacts of the Bay Area’s 15 months in lockdown.

Essential functions

In an area with hundreds of school districts — a situation that makes effective education all the more challenging — this reporter will focus on the half-dozen largest, ranging from struggling Oakland Unified to high-achieving Fremont. You’ll plumb the clashes between charter and conventional schools, the flight to private schools, and the factors that drive inequities, from disproportionate discipline to dropout rates. You’ll gauge the power of parent’s groups and teacher’s unions. And you’ll tie all of these issues to the most important question: What sort of schools keep our kids down, and what lifts them up? Intelligent data analysis is a key component to success at this beat, as is the ability to connect with children, parents and teachers in ways that make their challenges and successes resonate with our audience.

Competencies and skills

If you’re a strong candidate you’ll have these qualities:

• Excellent news judgment and demonstrated knowledge of education issues
• Strong writing under deadline pressure, for online and print audiences, including the ability to craft headlines and nut graphs that distill why a story needs to be read and shared online.
• A fascination and facility with data coupled with the skill and experience to analyze it and seek out new sources of information
• Experience juggling multiple stories of varying complexity, from quick news posts and daily news stories to longer-term enterprise and features
• At least three years experience as a working journalist

In our diverse region, facility with multiple languages is also a plus.

Required Education

• 4-year college degree (journalism or related fields)

Required Experience

• 4 years prior experience

Work Environment

• This job operates in a professional office environment and at the Company and client sites for business meetings and presentations. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

• This position may be a permanent remote role.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms and requires the ability to occasionally lift office products and supplies up to 30 pounds.

Other Duties

This job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.